Locomotive fire box



C. G. HAWLEY LOCOMOTIVE FIRE BOX Feb. 23 1926. 574,029

Filed May 15. 1922 4 iil lilili'lllvl Patented Feb. 23, 1926.

o srarss earner orrics.

CHARLES GILBERT HAWLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGlIOR T0 LOCOMOTIVE FIR-E- BOX COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 013 DELAWARE.

LGGOMOTIVE FIRE BOX.

Application filed May 13,

To all whom 2'2? may concern:

lie it known that 1, CI Giniinirr Hawnnr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident'ol 'Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and for Locomotive Fire l-Zoxes, of which the following is a specification;

My invent-ion relates to locomotive boilers and has particular reference to iiiiprovements which are applicable to the Nicholson thermic siphon as disclosed in Patent No. LZESFfirIOof April 20, 19510.

The nature of my invention and the liorm of the typical locomotive boiler and firebox will be readily comprehended onrct'erence to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. lis a vertical longitudinal section of a lOtUlllOllilKl firebox embodi iiiy invenline 22 oi? Fig. 'l. 3 is a plan view with a portion or: the firebox crown sheet broken away to disclose the interior of the firebox, Fig. is a diagrammatic View showing how my novel therinic siphon is applied to the firebox. l 5 is anenhirged lioi zontal sect: ii'oii either oi the lines 5--5 of l iogs. tillii. Fig. (5 is an enlarged ver- L. L at ,n V w 3-1. 3 J: 1.

tieai bGetlOllOrl t it. nice ()1. 7 1g. i. ig. 7 is an enlarged rtical section on the line 7- of Fig Fig. 8 illustrates a iiiodihcation in the form or the upper rear end oi the siphon.

angular hollow water wall composed of the body portion 2 and the intake neck portion 3. The intake neck is placed in communication with the front water leg 4c of the boiler, while the top of the hollow body portion opens upward through the crown sheet 5 of the firebox 6. The body portion of the siphon being fiat, is stayed by numerous staybolts 7 Likewise, all parts of the tirebox crown sheet, side sheets, etc, are stayed by similar, but longer, stay-bolts 8, including the long radial or crown bolts which extend between the crown sheet 5 and th top of the firebox wrapper or shell 9.

As disclosed in the aforesaid Patent 1,337,720, the Nicholson 'therniic siphon is provided with wide top flanges, which are made to conform to the shape of the crown sheet of the firebox. Such flanges are weld- 1922. SerialNo. 560,655.

-d to the crown sheet or otherwise attached and more particularly are made to directly receive. respective longitudinal rows of radial stay-bolts 8, the latter serving to safely support the siphon from the outside wrapper sheet of the firebox. In order to install such a Nicholson siphon it is necessary first to cut a large opening in the crown sheet and then to lit the extensive flanges of the siphon to that opening and to weld the adjoining edges by the autogenous process.

The primary purposes of the invention are to avoid the somewhat diflicult operations next above described, to 7 very considerably lessen the cost of installing a tlierniic siphon in a firebox, to reduce the preliminary disturbance of crown bolts in preparation for the installation of the siphon and to improve the stability and security of the structure as against all lorces tending to collapse the firebox and siphon.

Vith these objects in view, I entirely dispense with the well-known top flange otsiphon at the top rear end. This is clearl indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, from which it will be seen that the sheet of metal composing the siphon is not flanged and that the bottom or bulging portion 2 of the siphon extends, with uniform dii'iiensioiis, il'roiii the throat of the boiler to the crown sheet of the firebox. In brief, the top of the siphon is of the same shape as the lower intermediate portions and to install this simplified siphon it is only necessary to cut a narrow slot-like opening, of the same shape, in the crown sheet 5 and thereupon the top of the siphon is lifted through the opening, the box then presenting the appearance iiidicated by dotted lines 10 in Fig. 4. Having so positioned the siphon and having iii-st entered the neck 8 in the opening provided therefor in the throat sheet l, the next step consists in welding the sides of the siphon top directly to the adjoining edges 5 of the crown sheet opening, as well shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Top and bottom welds l1 and 11 are preferably employed for sake of security. After the siphon has been welded into place the top edges are burned or otherwise cut oil close down to the rown sheet,

The upper rear end 2 of the siphon may be treated after either manner proposed in Figs. 7 and 8. It may be lapped upon the top of the crown sheet as shown at 12 in Fig. 7, or may be shaped as shown in Fig. 8.

An advantage of the invention lies in the fact that the bulging portion 2 may continue through the crown sheet as well shown at 13 in Fig. 3 without disturbing the adjoining stay-bolts in the crown sheet.

l/Vhen the top welding of the siphon is dispensed with, as may safely be done, it is entirely feasible to install a siphon without disturbing, a single crown bolt. In other words, a very considerable saving in cost may be enjoyed as compared with the installationof the standardfNicholson thermic siphon.

One of the-marked advantages of the invention is that siphons of this improved form need not be built to exactly fit the fire box for which they are intended, but may be fitted to a number of boxes of different sizes, it being obvious that very considerable tolerances are allowed by the extending upper edges and'the long neck of the siphon.

The operation of the siphon is not different from that of the standard Nicholson thermic siphon, and therefore needs no detailed description herein.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In combination with a locomotive fire box having a stay bolted crown sheet provided with an elongated opening therein, between adjacent rows of the stay bolts, a thermic siphon positioned in the fire box and having a flangeless top end extending through said opening and beyond the top surface of the crown sheet and to which said fiangeless top end of the siphon is autogenously. welded. 2. The method of equipping a locomotive firebox with a thermic siphon which consists in providing a siphon with a fiangeless top end, forming an opening in the firebox crown sheet between adjacent rows of the stay bolts thereof just sufficient to accommodate said flangeless top end of the siphon, insert ing said flangeless top end of the siphon through said opening so that it projects beyond the crown sheet, and welding said fiangeless top end of the siphon to said crown sheet adjacent said opening.

3. The method of equipping a. locomotive firebox with a thermic siphon which consists in providing a siphon with a flangeless top end, forming an opening in the firebox crown sheet between adjacent rows of the stay bolts thereof just sufiicient to accommodate said flangeless top end of the siphon, inserting said flangeless top endof the siphon through said opening so that it projects beyond the crown sheet a greater distance than desired, welding said flangeless top end of the siphon to said crown sheet adjacent said opening and thereafter removing that portion of the flangeless top end of the siphon that projects beyond the crown sheet.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of May, 1922'.

CHARLES GILBERT HAWLEY.. 

